Source- Real News Antigua: As residents continue to complain about the shortage of potable water, the minister with responsibility for the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) is claiming that over 12 million gallons are being provided every day. CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WHATS APP GROUP
Commencing March 1, businesses were billed for water at a higher rate, as decided by the Cabinet several weeks ago, while a hike in household service is expected at a later date.
However, the Administration has claimed that rates will not increase until households are provided with the commodity on a daily basis, 24 hours a day.
Now, the minister for APUA – Melford Nicholas – has confirmed that seven million gallons are being provided through the Reverse
Osmosis (RO) plants and the balance of five million from the water accumulated in the dams, reservoirs, and aquifers.
Given these numbers, it is expected that the Authority would be able to provide a regular schedule of water to all communities.
However, what the minister is claiming does not appear to match up with what the public is actually receiving, according to the response of residents.
On Thursday, March 7, one Swetes resident declared that the village has not had water for the past three days.
Another person also challenges Nicholas’ claim, asking where, exactly, that water is distributed.
The resident doubts the volume of water said to be produced daily, since most villages across the island receive water only for two days each week and for a few hours.
Further, she complains that the short period in which the water is on does not afford most households sufficient time to do laundry, wash dishes, or enjoy a proper shower.
The response of yet another resident is that water has not run at their home with any significant pressure in a month.
Rather, the water trickles through the pipes at such a slow pace that it literally takes hours just to fill one bucket, this person says.
The frustrated resident is asking the Browne Administration who it thinks it is fooling.
When it was thought that no one could top the incompetence of Sir Robin Yearwood as the worst public utilities minister ever, Melford Nicholas has done it, she declares.
According to another resident, APUA must be “flushing holes to evict crabs,” because residents are not getting what the Authority is claiming in his area, and he describes these government officials as notorious for their hilarious lies.
Others complain that only air and dust are being emitted by their pipes and turning the water meter.
In short, the consensus is that bathing with a bucket and having “a houseful of Oasis water bottles” is the way of life now under Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Minister Nicholas.
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Clean regular water supply is a basic human right. I think its time for Antigua to rejoin the UK as an official colony so we can get some real water supply engineers from England ASAP. I’m tired of this independent nation nonsense.
Ideally, we need an OECS political union ( federation has worked for the US, canada and australia). But sadly, if we can’t get ourselves together your suggestion might be the answer. Before we get sold off as scraps to china
The headline is absolutely correct.
When I’ve visited friends and family, all you can see inside their homes is a plethora of bottled water, gallon drums and rain water tanks situated outside; and if it wasn’t for these resources, the lack of water would have been a lot worse.
One of my friends is still using a pail to flush his toilet – I can bet your bottom dollar that no current Minister has to do this in 2024. Tarl!!!
The ABLP gaslighting Antiguans as usual.
@ Brixtonian
ONLY ‘BLUDDY BLOKE’ GET WATER 24/7. Such a purfect minion
Residents have stopped complaining as no one is listening and no one cares. Minister Nicholas is a bare face liar. My area has received water 2 nights for this year. That’s correct. But this announcement is a ploy to justify raising the water rates which he said would not be raised until the island got a constant and reliable water service. I hope voters are paying attention and will never forget.
That’s why they’re doing all this BS now. The expectation is that by the me the next election is called, people will forget.
Don’t forget that as the last election approached, there was water in the pipes all the time at full force. 1 week after the election the water was gone!
Melford house must have water 24/7 for him to make that claim then
And that’s the way it is in an Economic Powerhouse. Until the public and the press demand specifics on what is promised.
Who is getting the water. What villages and when What hours continuous. Otherwise, it’s the same BS.
Laughing my ass off.
Oh what a web we weave……..
This dam water is a big problem, and the bill high like shit. I am so dam fed up right now, and when you do get water it dirty dirty. Murder help help!
If Gaston really cared this issue would have been fixed, along with the roads and drainage.
The wealthy politicians don’t need any pipe water , their cisterns are full, they own the water trucks . The minister of works hire her husband and son-in-law equipment, rent property from them( and spend millions to repair the property). We still want to know who was the contractor.
The minister of finance tells the accountant general who yo pay and how much. Government ministers equipment get paid, Minister of Finance has several backhoes working for government. Said out of his own mouth that his son collects like 30 thousand per month from the treasury and that is peanuts based on how much they invoice government weekly and monthly.
You poor, stupid, blind group of contractors that support this government don’t you see that this government is squeezing the blood out of you. I don’t know how you guys do it . You credit equipment, tools, fuel Struggle to pay workers, struggling to pay statutory contributions, they you got to the treasury weekly and most times come out empty handed .
@Independent Thinker,
You have offered interestingly facts, that cannot be denied.
But may I add it’s not the just poor, stupid, blind group of contractors that support this government.
They live a life of fantasy hoping for a future to be on par with: The members of Antigua and Barbuda Evangelist Alliance and The Christian Council. The Bankers, The Lawyers, The Senior Civil Servants the Importers and the Nepo Babies.
These are the Elites who set the stage to corruption tolerance, as well as support the corruption network.
Haiti had a similar history where its bourgeois were able to send their children to private schools to Florida and France, while poor children were literally enslaved working in the Elites homes and gardens.
Antigua and its “bougie” have not gotten there yet, but the political doctrine is the same as Haiti’s..
UNTIL THE FOCUS IS PLACED ON THE ELITES, BOUGIES and the EXPATS. IT AIN’T GOING TO CHANGE.
THE POLITICIANS ARE JUST ENJOYING THE GOOD TIMES, HOPING THEIR LUCK DOES NOT RUN OUT BEFORE THEY SECURE THEIR WEALTH ABROAD, AND HEAD OUT LIKE THE HAITIAN BOURGEOIS.
didnt the prime minister say sometime ago (paraphrase) he was tired of APUA and the answer was to hand everything over to a trinidad company to manage because his government was incompetant and not ready yet.
Fix the water and the roads. The country is literally SURROUNDED by water. It’s time for Antigua to get the basic necessities together. Water Infrastructure roads and recycling. It’s 2024 and you can’t flush a toilet?????
@ Maria NOT TODAY,
Neither a “Browne” nor a “Bird”. Purcell was given the wrong jacket.
The knighted Ambassador: the political strategist who writes the speeches, digs up the dirt and besmirch political opponents’ character; thinks she needs to burnish her image in case her husband is driven into the sunset.
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